I bought a used one on Ebay a couple months ago. I have been considering buying this bowie straight from the catalog for a long time now, but was a little concerned about the size and the cost; basically for the $120 they were asking for it, I would have liked a bigger blade. The stats listed in the catalog seemed like it would be a small bowie, but I was just hoping for a picture along with other blades to get a better size idea and comparison.
In any case, I found one on Ebay, and the seller accepted a Best Offer from me for $25. Admittedly, I also offered him (low) Best Offers on two of his other knives at the same time, so maybe the combined price was enough for him to accept such a (imo) low offer.
My pre-conceptions proved true, and this is indeed a small bowie; a hair under 7 inch blade. I like bowies to be bigger. That said, it is a very nice knife! Excellent and pretty damascus pattern
David Saroni. The sweep of the blade combined with the shape of the bone scales just seems elegant and an idea of movement. The scales fit very flush and smooth with the tang. Everything seems solid. The scabbard is simple, but stitched together strongly. I also like the smell. Lol I can not see any real signs of use or age.
So, bottom line, would I pay the $120 or so asking price for it? No. I got a steal of a deal for only $25, though! Very pleased about that.
If you have no qualms about spending that much money on a small bowie, then you might indeed like this. If the price seems steep, you could continue looking for a less expensive, used one like I did.
I would also suggest another option that I did prior to finding my used bowie: Smoky Mountain Knife Works has a lot of reasonably priced knife making materials, including bigger damascus steel bowie blanks. I think the last time I looked, they had some in the region of 12" for around $35. If you have some skill and patience with handiwork, you could buy one of those, plus scales and pins, and come out with a bigger bowie at half the cost of this new Cowboy bowie. Best of luck in whichever route you take!